Community News

The East Tennessee Region Emergency Preparedness Program and the Roane County Health Department have been recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials for its ability to plan for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies.

The East Region Emergency Preparedness Program demonstrated these capabilities by meeting the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready, a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

They made their earliest appearance about 400 million years ago, with the club mosses and scouring rushes. Both were ancestors of the true ferns still with us today, virtually unchanged from their ancient forms.

By the end of the 19th century, many great houses in Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston and other cities had greenhouses where ferns and palms were much-favored plants.

Ferns comprise the highest division of the so-called flowerless plants. They are extensively used as food in some parts of the world.

The new year got off to a frigid start as the Tennessee Valley was hit by the lowest temperatures recorded in 20 years Jan. 7-8. The frigid conditions also prompted a new record for electricity consumption across Volunteer Energy Cooperative’s 17-county service area, which includes parts of Roane County.